A moving target for W.Va. Air Guard

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia Air National Guard, after announcing plans last year to cut 217 positions at the 167th Airlift Wing in fiscal year 2015, now is uncertain about how many will be eliminated.

“That number is constantly changing and it’s so fluid that, at this point, we’re not sure how many that final number will be,” said Second Lt. Stacy Gault, the wing’s public affairs officer.

The reason for the job cuts is the Guard’s switchover from C-5 aircraft to C-17. Though the planes are both used for cargo and transport, the C-17 needs fewer crew members.

Retirements and members leaving for other careers could reduce the number of personnel who will be forced out. However, Gault said the Guard is preparing those who could lose their positions by staging employment workshops and a job fair that has 30 employers lined up for this month.

“Right now, as we go through this process, with the uncertainty, we’re trying to help people find new opportunities that are a sure thing,” she said. “The Air National Guard is a family. We want to make sure we take every step possible to care for our family members.”

Gault stressed they want to help those airmen find new employment before their time runs out with the Guard.

“We’ve had some employment workshops, within the last few months, and then this month we have a job fair, on base, that we’re hosting,” according to Gault.

Good jobs are hard to find but Gault said the Guard is determined to make sure their members find a job to support themselves and their families.

“The Air National Guard is a family. We want to make sure we take every step possible to care for our family members.”

Gault said they have 30 employers lined up, for this month’s job fair.

We should look at how Congress bought more C-17 than the Air Force wanted, just so one Congressman could keep the cash cow producing milk.

April 14, 2014 at 10:46 pm |

Go USAF and Air Guard

That's BS. The C-5 A Models are over 35 years old and expensive to maintain now. The C-17 is required for strategic and tactical airlift. It's an awesome aircraft and sorely needed. So in the end, this will save money and ensure we have airlift to support the military. So get your head out of your butt and know the facts before you open your mouth and remove all doubt about your stupidity.

April 15, 2014 at 12:34 am |

northforkfisher

What I said was more than needed was purchased. I'm an older Navy airframe mechanic, so I probably understand more so than you the replacement of aircraft models due the number of man hours required to keep them flying.
Age has a part in retiring an aircraft. The amount of actual flying hours, the overall airframe conditions, the time of maintenance hours to flight time, and the cost to upgrade. So the next time u tell someone to pull his head out his rear make sure he don't know more about it than you.

April 15, 2014 at 12:11 pm |

DWL

The collaborative efforts of McDonnell Douglas & Boeing to build a replacement for the C-130 resulted in the C-17, designed and built to transport one and only one piece of military hardware. The manufacturers, at the insistence of liberal representatives, unduly influenced by the trade unions, opted to distribute the manufacturing process for the GlobeMaster III across 36 states, insuring the almost impossible task of stopping production, short of an economic disaster. Numerous attempts by the DoD to curtail contract extensions were constantly met by liberal lawmakers' rebuffs and their supportive unions waving economical disaster in their districts. Not a bad plan of attack by the unions, unless you are picking up the tab. The attempts to stop the contracts were voted down multiple times by the liberal controlled legislative branches. The aircraft was finally stopped as a result of Sequestration.

When you look at the ANG units that currently have C-17's inventoried to them, it amazing that the predominate states are liberally occupied. NY, MA, HI, TN, MI, & AL.

The older C-5A's were sent to the outcasts - the 167th in WV. Their next stop from here is the boneyard.

April 15, 2014 at 6:17 pm |

northforkfisher

Thank you DWL for backing up what I said. It's a shame that liberals ram things down the military throats, instead of using the money to purchase needed things across the board.

April 15, 2014 at 8:01 pm |

Aaron

Do they not teach reading comprehension in the AF or ANG? The gentleman pointed out that a Congressman purchased MORE aircraft than was needed, not that they were not needed.

And you accuse others of headictusuptustherubptkuss.

Seriously

April 15, 2014 at 10:54 am |

northforkfisher

We should look at how Congress bought more C-17 than the Air Force wanted, just one Congressman could the cash cow producing milk.

April 14, 2014 at 10:45 pm |

Sergeant FOD

The butter bar mentions "airmen." To me that sounds like enlisted folks. No officers looking at the ole heave-ho?

April 14, 2014 at 6:20 pm |

DWL

The unfortunate side is both enlisted and officers get the exit papers. The Flight Crews, including pilots and command staff, are being reduced in great numbers. The 17's required about 1/2 of the personnel complement as the 5's do.

April 14, 2014 at 6:59 pm |

Max

Obama and his minions are doing all they can to punish WV...none of the WV Dems will stand up against him...keep voting for them WV.

April 14, 2014 at 9:32 am |

richard

You are full of crap!! Bush tried to shut the place down before. Had it not been for the Great Sen. Robert C Byrd, the 167th would have been gone back then. You republican political hacks would try to blame Obama if it rained all day.

April 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm |

DWL

It wasn’t the 167th that they recommended be closed. It was the 130th in Charlie West. The reason was 2 fold - #1 access; & #2 no room for expansion. The reasoning of BRAC decision was the lack on need for multiple C-130 units in each State, and just about every state had two 130 units. Their decision ruffled a few political feathers in Charleston because the political appointees would loose their free ride when the C-130’s left the Kanawha valley. They were handed out as political gifts years ago. As a result, Byrd negotiated the deal to give the 130th the “new” 130’s that the 167th received, sending the aged 130 fleet that Charlie West had to the bone yard and foreign sales. In turn the 167th, which has the area to expand, unlike Charleston and many of the active duty bases, would be given either C-17’s or C-5A’s with the Pentagon deciding to send the aged C-5’s to MRB. The current base configuration allows for either aircraft to be supported. The expansion of the base was a needed boost to WV and the surrounding area’s economy; this was until the m0r0n was elected. His visible hatred of the military is so pronounced, it constant demise is ever present. In so far a Byrd’s reasoning, WV was and still remains the only state that has no “active duty” military installation within its boundary.

As a little side note, MRB had one of the best practice drop zones on the east coast until Carpetbagger Jay and several democratic hacks, one of which is the chairman of the EWVRAA, decided they wanted a technological business park adjacent to the airport and terminated the lease on the LZ. The status of that business park today – EMPTY and bankruptcy proceedings are taking place on several of the building abandon by the failed businesses.

April 14, 2014 at 3:08 pm |

167AW and 130AW Forever

I served in the 167AW for thirty years. Everything DWL just said in his post is absolutely true. And I was at the table for most of those discussions.

April 15, 2014 at 12:37 am |

Aaron

Is this one of the ANG units that was recommended to be closed by the base closure committee several years ago, that Robert Byrd, Joe Manchin and other politicians did everything they could to save at an additional cost to taxpayers?

April 14, 2014 at 7:10 am |

Roger

Aaron,
If you are worried about cost to the taxpayers might I suggest focusing towards the hundred of thousands of worthless West Virginians who sit and do nothing but collect a free welfare check, cell phone, food, housing, and medical insurrance at the cost of the same said taxpayers. Leave the ANG alone.

April 14, 2014 at 8:55 am |

Aaron

Why. The bi-partisan base closure committee is of the opinion that in regards to national security, the 130th airlift is not needed. As such, the way I see it, they are ripping off taxpayers as much as welfare recipients, possibly more so considering the amount of money we spend on this pork unit.

April 14, 2014 at 9:45 am |

Roger

"Ripping off taxpayers" "Pork Unit" Clearly you have a beef with this unit. To bad you are willing to sacrifice the Airmen working there and there families that depend on that job to pay the bills to settle your own personal vendetta.

April 14, 2014 at 11:35 am |

Aaron

If the report is incorrect, explain how.

April 14, 2014 at 2:35 pm |

Roger

There is the most over used word in the comment section of every article, "ignorant." You read a report that is almost a decade old. Many things have changed like the amount of West Virginians that are now dependent on that same government that you are concerned about waste. Once this state quits being a welfare state then I am willing to focus more on that Unit. Till then, I would rather see the tax money go to that Unit, wastefully or not, before I would see it get redirected back to the welfare.

April 14, 2014 at 1:17 pm |

Aaron

That's hogwash Roger. Why in the world would you make such an ignorant statement when you have no idea what my background is? As an Armed Forces veteran, I understand the need for military units.

I read the BRAC reports in 2005. There was nothing partisan in their recommendations. They were based solely on what was best for the national Defense of United States of America and how we should spend our military dollars. They are the one who said to close the base in the interest of national security.

Do you believe that recommendation was made because they had a vendetta against our airmen?

Of course you don't; that would be ignorant. Just so you know, it's about as ignorant as claiming some one who speaks out against government waste has a vendetta against the air guard for finding merit in the report.

April 14, 2014 at 12:23 pm |

Jason412

Got to agree with Aaron on this one. Wasted money is wasted money, regardless of who or where it's wasted.

April 14, 2014 at 10:57 am |

Roger

Jason,
How do you know that it is wasted? How do you know what exactly do they do there?

April 14, 2014 at 11:36 am |

DWL

No. That would be the Charleston (130th) facility. They ran out of mountain top at the USS Charleston years ago. The Charleston politicians would never allow that to happen.

April 14, 2014 at 8:33 am |

DWL

With the passing of the Robert Byrd era, the WV ANG's days are numbered. Rumor has it that they are going to convert the MRB base into a flea market. After all, the civilian side of the airport died a long time ago courtesy of poor liberal (d) management. They're so poor they can't even afford to fly the US or WV flag on a donated flag pole.

April 14, 2014 at 7:04 am |

Aaron

Meanwhile Yeager is going to expand their runway across a valley a couple thousand feet to another mountaintop.